1. In your blog, you say you started the blog at a difficult time in your life, after your marriage had broken up and your best friend had taken his life. How were you able to find happiness or positivity at this time? Was there something or someone in particular that inspired you?

To be honest, I just sort of felt like I was wallowing in this world of doom and gloom and I was itching for a way to remind myself of simple pleasures like hitting a string of green lights, the smell of a bakery, and peeling an orange in one shot.

2. Your blog’s popularity spread quickly through word of mouth and your book of the blog was published in Spring this year. Why do you think it became so popular?

Well, the news is just so heavy. Polar ice caps are melting, earthquakes are hitting us, wars are going on around the world, and the economy is in a deep freeze. I think The Book of Awesome is just a tiny moment where we’re allowed to escape from all that and remember how good it feels to flip to the cold side of the pillow in the middle of the night.

3. Where do you get your inspiration for your awesome things? Do you have to remind yourself to look for these things in everyday life and if so, how?

I’m definitely no genius! I’m just a guy dumb enough to spend my free time writing about all the things that make us smile. I think we all love wearing warm underwear from out of the dryer, sleeping in new bedsheets, and fixing electronics by smacking them. They’re just there, they’re just around us, they’re just little moments that end up piling together and adding up into our lives.

4. Your blog is very upbeat and very funny. Are you generally a happy or positive person? If so, does this come naturally or did you have to practice at it?

Just like everybody else, I definitely have good days and bad days and good months and bad months. I don’t think of myself as an optimist, but I definitely think focusing on simple pleasures like getting extra time on a parking meter or tripping and realizing no one saw you [note from Sasha – that one about tripping made me laugh] has helped give me lots of smiles.

5. Do you find the process of writing, and sharing your thoughts with a wider audience, is a therapy in itself? Do you find that you can feel sad but still write in a positive way (I do!)?

I guess in many ways, yes! I started 1000awesomethings.com as a public website counting down because I thought those two things would help pressure me to keep at it, just the same way people ask others to make them go to the gym. If I’m sad, sometimes the writing is more challenging or sometimes I may just write a couple sentences.

6. What would you say to someone who is considering launching a blog, or setting up their own project like yours?

Do it! Have fun, follow your heart, and do what you love. The Internet is an amazing thing… for very little money we get to meet, interact, share, and learn from people all over the world. We get to fall into Wikipedia rabbit holes, chat with friends, send emails to our moms, and start up websites where we can do anything we want, anytime we want. It’s an awesome time to be alive.

Thank you so much for the chat! I hope you have a very awesome day!

The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha is published by Hardie Grant Books, price £8.99, available now.